


From the shadows

by lilyflower1345



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-08
Updated: 2012-06-08
Packaged: 2017-11-07 06:10:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/427798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyflower1345/pseuds/lilyflower1345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Arthur had been aware of Gilli's actions during the tournament and decided to investigate? AU set during 3x11 "The Sorcerer's Shadow" No Slash</p>
            </blockquote>





	From the shadows

As Arthur left the arena, he felt a wave of intense annoyance hit him. Throwing the fight just now had gone against all the training he had received as a knight. Not to mention the matter of pride. He could have beaten his father quite easily. He imagined briefly the look on his father’s face if he had disarmed him. It would have been extremely satisfying to show his father that he could best him in battle, to possibly get some recognition. Recognition that so often his father refused to give. 

But there hadn’t been much of a choice. How could he have made his father look so weak in the eyes of the people? He knew he could not have done that to his father, but it didn’t lessen his frustration.

As he walked towards the castle, he saw Merlin standing off to the side. 

“Well done,” Merlin called out, “That can’t have been easy.”

“If he wasn’t my father…” Arthur said, his tone clearly showing his frustration. Not saying anything else Arthur continued on to the castle, knowing that he wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Even some of the sarcastic banter with Merlin that he usually secretly enjoyed. 

He supposed it was a small comfort that at least Merlin knew that he could have beaten his father. Though since Merlin was such an awful swordsman, this wasn’t much consolation. The person he really wanted to know was his father. But Arthur was sure that his father would be gloating for at least a week, refusing the see that Arthur had thrown the fight. Refusing to see his true skills as a warrior. 

Deciding that he needed something to work out his frustration, Arthur considered how he was going to do this. Since conversation was out, perhaps he would do some target practice. But hadn’t Merlin taken his crossbow the other day to repair it? Arthur was sure that he had, but Merlin hadn’t returned it yet. Typical Merlin, he could be so blasted slow getting things done. Just what did he do with his time anyway? Now he’d have to go back and ask Merlin where the crossbow was. 

Arthur considered the chores he would have Merlin do to make up for this as he walked back to the arena. Coming up to where Merlin was standing, he was about to shout out to him when the look on Merlin’s face stopped him. Merlin had a look of deep disapproval and disappointment on his face.

It was so uncharacteristic of him; Merlin was usually so carefree and easygoing. In fact, Merlin usually tended to be somewhat of a fool, a likable fool but a fool none the less. But someone who rarely seemed to take things seriously, except of course for odd moments where he’d show deep wisdom that Arthur had no idea how he obtained. But these moments were rare. So who or what could have caused Merlin to have such a serious, disapproving expression?

Merlin seemed to be staring intently at someone. Arthur followed his line of sight and saw that Merlin was watching the current fight in the arena. More specifically he was staring at the boy about to fight a tall man in a turban. Arthur noticed that the boy was staring back at Merlin. The boy seemed to register Merlin’s disapproval, but he did not look ashamed. He looked defiantly at Merlin for another moment, and then turned to fight his opponent. 

What was the deal with Merlin and this boy? As far as Arthur knew, Merlin had never met the boy before. But clearly Merlin did not approve of something the boy had done, or was about to do. Arthur was about to walk closer to Merlin and ask him what was going on, when he saw that Merlin seemed to be watching even more intently. He had a look of expectation on his face, like he knew something was about to happen. 

Turning back to the fight, Arthur saw the two opponents exchanging blows. Arthur watched closely, determined to figure out what Merlin was expecting to see. Then it happened, he saw the boy’s eyes briefly flash golden and the man in the turban fell to the ground like something had tripped him. 

Had that been magic? It had to have been, the only time Arthur had seen eyes flash gold like that was when a sorcerer was using magic. Arthur couldn’t believe that a sorcerer would be so bold as to use magic in front of all of Camelot. 

Arthur turned his attention to the fight again and saw that the man in the turban had the boy pinned down with his staff. Maybe this man would be able to prevail even when his opponent was cheating with magic. But then he abruptly released the staff, seemingly in pain as he grasped his hand. The boy must have done more magic. Then the boy swung his sword and slashed the man viciously across the chest. 

As the crowd cheered, Arthur felt angry. This boy-sorcerer was using magic to win the tournament and didn’t seem to care who was hurt in the process. They would need to alert his father and put this boy in the dungeons. He turned to speak to Merlin, wanting to know what he knew about this boy. But he was gone. In the far distance he saw Merlin walking quickly back to castle. 

Merlin must not have seen him and was probably searching for Arthur in the castle to report the boy’s use of magic. Arthur quickly walked back to the castle, knowing it would be wiser to get all the available facts from Merlin before he told his father that magic was being used.   
________________________________________________________________________  
About thirty minutes later, Arthur had walked up and down all the main corridors without a sight of Merlin. This was strange, if they were both looking for each other, he should have run into Merlin by now. 

Merlin would come to him with something this important. Being his usual inefficient self, Merlin must be looking for him in stupid places. Where could that blasted servant have got to anyway? Turning a corner rather quickly, Arthur almost knocked over his manservant. 

“Merlin, I’ve been looking all over for you” Arthur said

“I’m sorry, Sire.” Merlin said in a distracted sort of voice. “I finished the repairs to your crossbow. I’ve put it on the table in your room.”

“Um, that’s great Merlin.” Arthur said, wondering why on earth Merlin had wasted time with his crossbow when there was a sorcerer on the loose. But also not wanting to discourage Merlin from actually doing his chores. “But what I really wanted to speak to you about was that last fight.”

“Oh yes,” Merlin quickly said, “You want to know the victor to see who will be fighting your father in the finals. The younger boy Gilli was the winner, but he won’t be giving your father any trouble.”

Arthur was confused. Why was Merlin going on about Gilli being the victor, when what really mattered was the fact that he’d used magic? As he was about to open his mouth to tell Merlin to stop going off on tangents, Merlin said “If you’ll excuse me Sire, I have to go help Gaius deliver some medicine.”

And before Arthur could say another word, Merlin was rushing off around the corner. Leaving a bewildered Arthur to stare after him.  
_______________________________________________________________________

A while later Arthur was in his chambers, still trying to figure out why Merlin hadn’t told him about magic being used in the fight. Merlin hadn’t seen him standing nearby watching the fight, so as far as he knew Arthur knew nothing about Gilli using magic. So why hadn’t Merlin told Arthur?

Merlin had been in a rush to end the conversation, and had seemed to want to downplay the fight. But surely Merlin knew this was something that had to be dealt with immediately. The idiot wasn’t trying to handle the sorcerer by himself was he? The idea of Merlin defeating a sorcerer was laughable. 

Arthur couldn’t help feeling hurt that Merlin seemed to think he had to deal with this on his own. Sure Arthur may give Merlin a hard time, but surely Merlin knew that he would want to know about this situation. He should be seeking Arthur’s help, after all what did Merlin know about sorcerers. 

But wait, Merlin’s close friend from Ealdor had been a sorcerer. Merlin had never really mentioned Will after that trip to Ealdor, but from what Arthur had seen they had been quite close. Merlin had seemed to have known for quite a while that Will was a sorcerer and he had kept Will’s secret. 

At the time Arthur had been annoyed that Merlin had not told him. But now Arthur could see it as a typical Merlin move. Merlin was a loyal friend. Almost too blasted loyal sometimes, he would never betray a friend. Could Gilli be his friend?

Merlin clearly hadn’t approved of Gilli’s use of magic; he may have been trying to get his friend to stop using magic. Perhaps Merlin was trying to save a friend from certain execution, and had not told Arthur out of a hope that he could still save his friend. This seemed like a reasonable explanation for Merlin’s behavior just now. 

Though he apparently didn’t realize just how dangerous magic was. Those who used magic were evil. This was what his father had always told him. Though thinking back to how Will had saved his life, Arthur had to admit that perhaps a sorcerer could choose to do a random act of kindness at some point in their life. But this was surely the rare exception, rather than the rule.

Perhaps Merlin was determined that Gilli would be another such exception. Arthur was sure that Merlin was going to be disappointed. And the sense of duty that his father had drilled into him was telling him to immediately put Gilli in the dungeon. He really should call the guards, but something was stopping him.

Arthur could imagine how disappointed Merlin would be. He remembered that strange conversation he’d had with Merlin right after he’d recovered from the questing beast. Merlin had told him that he would be a great king. Merlin had said it with such trust in him. Even though it was just Merlin, Arthur still felt a strong desire to become that great king. And making fair judgments was part of that. 

Arthur had seen his father jump to conclusions and execute innocent people. Gwen’s father being a prime example. If there was even a small chance that Merlin could succeed in leading Gilli to use magic for good, then Arthur couldn’t condemn him yet. 

What he needed was more information on Gilli, so he could be sure he was making an informed decision. Arthur paced up and down his room as he considered how to do this. He could track down Merlin, but he wanted the chance to observe Gilli himself. Grabbing a cloak, Arthur left to find Gilli.  
A couple hours later, Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was seated at a corner table near the back of the inn where Gilli was staying. It had only taken a few inquiries to track him down; everyone in town was talking about his seemingly impossible wins. With the hood of his cloak up over his face, no one was the wiser that the Crown Prince was at the inn. 

But Arthur was beginning to wonder if he was wasting his time. Gilli was still bragging to the crowd who were eager to discover the secret to his success in the tournament. He’d been going on a while now about his supposed speed and strength. Gilli was obviously enjoying the attention. Arthur had not seen a hint that he was worried over the man he’d injured in the last fight. It seemed that his first impression of Gilli had been accurate. 

Sighing, Arthur absentmindedly scanned the room. Suddenly he saw Merlin at the door. Merlin had that same disapproving look on his face again. Arthur saw that Gilli seemed part guilty, part defiant. Merlin gestured towards the stairs that were to Arthur’s right. Gilli nodded and started slowly pushing his way through the crowd surrounding him. 

Merlin clearly was going to attempt to stop Gilli from using magic. From what Arthur had seen Gilli seemed too enthralled by the attention to stop. What did Merlin think he could say to stop him? Was it really just loyalty to a friend that was causing Merlin to pursue this? Abruptly, Arthur was filled with a deep curiosity to know what Merlin was going to say to Gilli. 

Thinking quickly, he saw that Gilli was still fighting his way through the crowd with Merlin waiting for him off to the side. He needed to get upstairs where he’d be able to hear their conversation. Moving quietly, Arthur rushed up the stairs. All he found was a small hallway with doors leading to rooms. 

There was nowhere to hide in the hallway. Glancing desperately at the door closest to him, Arthur saw two names scrawled on a piece of parchment stuck to the door. It must be the names of the guests staying in the room. The next door had Gilli’s name on it. Arthur rushed in the room and scanned for a hiding place. 

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, he threw himself under the bed to the left of the doorway. It was disgustingly dusty, but he’d be able to hear what Merlin was going to say to Gilli. A moment later, Merlin and Gilli came into the room. 

“What’s this about?” Gilli said, sounding irritated. 

Merlin sounded equally irritated as he said “Your opponent. Thought you might like to know how he is.” Impressed, Arthur thought Merlin had chosen well to get right to point.

It seemed to have worked, as Gilli asked in concern “Is he alright?” 

Merlin answered, his tone still showing his disapproval “Gaius thinks He’ll pull through. But… He might not have been so lucky!” 

It was strange to hear Merlin speak this way. Somehow Gilli’s actions were enough to get the usually easygoing Merlin to feel deep disapproval. 

Stubbornly Gilli said “It could’ve been me that got injured.

In a tone that demanded an answer, Merlin said “I thought you weren’t going to fight.” So Merlin had known about Gilli’s magic before the fight today.

Gilli answered, “You’ve seen the way people are now. They’re showing me respect. You don’t know what that’s like for me.” As he said this, Gilli sounded almost intoxicated with the newfound admiration. But Arthur was confused: Why didn’t Gilli think he could get respect the same way anyone without magic did? 

“I do.” Merlin said, with a strange intensity of feeling.

Sounding firm, Gilli said “No… no, no one does” Arthur knew that he certainly didn’t get where Gilli was coming from. 

From his view under the bed, Arthur could see Merlin’s feet moving towards the door. Merlin shut the door, than walked closer to where Gilli was standing. Arthur heard Merlin say “Forbearne” 

How strange, that almost sounded like magic. But this was Merlin, who couldn’t possibly have magic.

But this train of thought was stopped when he heard Gilli gasp in surprise. What had Merlin done to surprise him? Arthur moved his head slightly out from the bed, so he could have a better view.

But he immediately wished he hadn’t seen. Arthur just barely stopped himself from yelling out in shock. Merlin was holding a ball of fire in his hand. It clearly wasn’t burning him, so it must be magic. Merlin was a sorcerer. His fool of a servant, his first true friend had magic?

Arthur’s mind was frozen in shock. It just didn’t make any sense for Merlin to be a sorcerer. But there he was with a ball of fire in his hand. And there was a look of understanding, of kinship, flashing between Merlin and Gilli. The look on Merlin’s face was saying that he had in fact used magic. 

Arthur looked blankly at Merlin while the emotions flooded through him: confusion, hurt, betrayal, anger, and fear. How could Merlin have never told him? 

Then Merlin spoke, in a vulnerable sort of voice that Arthur had never heard him use before. “ It’s … lonely… to … be more powerful than any man you know and have to live like a shadow… to.. be special and have to pretend you’re a fool. I know how it feels, I ..understand.”

Hearing Merlin say that he was lonely somehow pushed the other emotions to the side. The part of him that still felt like Merlin’s best friend wondered how he hadn’t seen this in Merlin. From Merlin’s voice, Arthur could tell that he had been hiding his loneliness for a long time. What type of rubbish friend was Arthur that he had never seen this? 

In a determined voice Gilli said, “Than you understand why I have to fight. If Uther is killed, so what? How many of our kind have died at his hands. How many more will? It’s time those with magic fought back.” 

At these words Arthur felt a thrill of anger and fear at the thought of his father dying. Merlin wasn’t going to go along with this, was he? 

In a voice that seemed to be trying to calm him down Merlin started to say, “Gilli…”

But whatever Merlin was going to say, Gilli interrupted by yelling “You can’t tell me what to do.” And Arthur saw his feet walking away towards the window.

Then Merlin said in a strong voice, “you need to learn to use your magic for good. That is its true purpose. It’s not meant for your own vanity.” 

Arthur felt a thrill of relief go through him at these words. Merlin didn’t want to kill his father. It was clear from the way he spoke that he truly believed magic was meant for good. There was still hope for Merlin.

In an angry voice Gilli said “I’m not going to apologize for who I am. You can be a servant and pretend you’re less than him, but I’m not going to...”

Merlin interrupted and said “No, that’s not what I do.”

In a disbelieving voice Gilli said, “No?…You’re defending the king. Protecting a man that would have you dead.”

Fear filled him as Arthur considered these words. It was perfectly true. His father would have Merlin dead if he knew. Arthur still felt confused over what he thought about all this. But he knew that he didn’t want Merlin dead. 

Then Merlin said, “I’m protecting you.”

In a quieter voice Gilli said, “You’ve been pretending for so long now, that you’ve actually forgotten who you are.”

That couldn’t be true, could it? Before this he would have been amused at the idea of Merlin being unsure of himself. But did he really know Merlin? There was this huge part of Merlin that Arthur had never known. Was the Merlin he knew just an act?

Merlin’s unsure answer didn’t reassure him. Merlin said “No that’s not true”. 

“Isn’t it?” Gilli asked forcefully.

Still sounding unsure Merlin repeated himself, “No…”

Sounding resolved Gilli said, “It’s time someone struck a blow for the likes of you and me, and if you’re too weak than I will.” And with that, Gilli strode out of the door. 

With the sound of the door closing, all of his uncertainties seemed to increase. Gilli’s last words chilled him “the likes of you and me”. Merlin had magic; did that mean he was destined to be Arthur’s enemy? Did Arthur even care when Merlin had lied to him? Did he even know who Merlin was? Looking at Merlin’s face made him feel even worse. For it seemed that Merlin wasn’t sure either. 

 

Arthur stood blankly watching the rising sun out his window, where he’d been since he gave up on the idea of sleep. He was feeling incredibly stupid. Different memories kept flashing through his mind.

Merlin announcing to the council room that he was a sorcerer when Gwen was accused of using magic to save her father. How the Questing Beast had been mysteriously defeated and he’d never even thought to ask how. All the various battles where tree branches had fallen at convenient times. How the roof collapsed at the castle of Fyrien when all had seemed lost. 

How had he overlooked all these coincidences? It seemed so obvious now that Merlin had magic. It certainly explained the nagging thought he’d had over the years that there was something off about Merlin. 

Why hadn’t Merlin told him? On the surface it made sense that telling the prince of a kingdom where magic was outlawed was a bad idea. But he and Merlin were friends, or at least he thought they were. So the fact that Merlin hadn’t trusted him hurt deeply. 

Merlin should have known that Arthur would keep his secret. Looking back, Arthur had realized that Merlin had saved his life many times, probably more than he realized even now. But Merlin must have thought that he would turn him in. 

Arthur felt hurt that Merlin thought so little of him. In the first place it would be completely dishonorable to sentence a man to execution who had saved his life multiple times. And in the second place Merlin was his friend.

Or he thought so anyway, at least the Merlin he thought he knew was. But did he really know Merlin anymore? Merlin had been hiding this huge secret. Was he hiding anything else? The thing that upset Arthur the most was the fear their friendship was all a lie, the fear that he didn’t know Merlin at all. 

As he remembered Merlin’s words to Gilli, this fear seemed justified. He had said he was more powerful than any man he knew. The idea of Merlin having that sort of power was mind-boggling. It certainly didn’t seem to fit with the Merlin he had known-Merlin must have been exaggerating. And the pained voice Merlin had used when he spoke of pretending to be fool. What had Merlin been pretending and what had been real? 

Back at the inn, Merlin had almost seemed as though he was unsure what to do. Was Merlin going to step back and allow Gilli to kill his father in the coming fight? Before tonight Arthur would have never believed that Merlin would betray him like that. But Arthur just wasn’t sure about this new unknown Merlin.

Arthur had to know where Merlin’s loyalties were. If Merlin didn’t stop Gilli, than he would know that Merlin’s loyalties were not with him. It would mean Merlin had been pretending to be his friend. But if he did stop Gilli, than Arthur would know it wasn’t an act. Arthur couldn’t act on his new knowledge until he knew what Merlin’s choice was going to be. 

 

Arthur sat at the podium in the arena. The fight was about to begin. Arthur was getting more and more tense. Time was running out for Merlin to run up and inform him about Gilli using magic. 

There was a chance that Merlin would discreetly stop Gilli using magic during the fight. This seemed possible, for Merlin hadn’t wanted to turn Gilli in before this. But it was impossible for Arthur to judge how likely this was, he sensed that he could very well be grasping at straws. 

He had tried not to think too hard about what he’d have to do if Merlin did nothing to stop Gilli. His only concession to this terrible possibility was to station extra knights around the edge of the battle arena. 

Arthur had told them to intervene in the coming fight if he signaled them. He hadn’t explained these orders, but the knights were loyal enough to obey without question. So he wasn’t concerned about his father. But Arthur was growing more and more panicked that soon he would learn for sure that his friendship with Merlin was a lie. And it was surprising just how much that idea hurt.

Arthur was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the crowd cheering. His father was entering the arena, nodding to the crowd as he walked to the center of the field. Moments later Gilli entered in from the left-hand entrance. Gilli had the same determined look on his face that Arthur had seen last night. 

His father and Gilli approached each other. The moment of truth was here. Arthur looked around the arena, and felt some relief to see Merlin standing off to the side of the arena. Merlin was studying Gilli closely. But had Merlin come to save his father or to watch him die? 

As the two opponents each shouted the battle cry, Arthur readied himself to pay close attention. He would wait until the last moment to intervene. Because intervening himself would mean that Merlin hadn’t.

Gilli and his father started exchanging blows. His father gave a strong hit and Gilli lost grip on his sword and dropped it. Arthur saw a slightly panicked look on Gilli’s face as his father swung his sword down towards him. Then Gilli’s eyes flashed gold briefly, and his father’s sword was stuck in the dirt. 

As his father struggled to free his sword, Gilli strode forwards with his own sword raised. Arthur felt sick. This was it; he’d have to intervene to save his father’s life. Before raising his hand to signal the knights, Arthur took one last look at Merlin standing across the field. 

Merlin was watching the fight. With a sort of sad look on his face, Merlin’s eyes flashed gold. And suddenly Gilli’s shield flew out of his hand. Gilli turned to look at Merlin. From where he was sitting, Arthur couldn’t see Gilli’s face. 

But there was some sort of exchange going on between Merlin and Gilli. For the way Merlin was shaking his head seemed to say “Sorry, I have to do this.”

Arthur sat back slightly in his chair. A wave of intense relief went through him. Merlin had come to stop Gilli, he wasn’t going to allow his father to die. Merlin was loyal to him.

Turning his attention back to the fight, Arthur saw Gilli raising his sword with an angry look in his eye. His father managed to free his sword and met the blow. Then Arthur saw Gilli’s eyes turn gold again and his father’s sword was flying out of his hand.

Gilli fiercely swung his sword and his father matched it with his shield. With a powerful blow, Gilli knocked his father to the ground. Gilli sliced his sword through his father’s shield. Gilli’s sword was only a few inches from his father’s face. 

This was getting too close to hurting his father. Glancing towards Merlin, Arthur saw that his eyes were golden again. Looking to see what magic Merlin had done, he saw that Gilli was trying to pull his sword from the shield. But it was stuck and wouldn’t budge. 

Gilli looked towards Merlin again, and seemed to have a pleading look on his face. Arthur saw Merlin sadly shake his head to Gilli. Merlin did not look happy as he refused to release Gilli’s sword. 

In that look Arthur realized the true depth of Merlin’s loyalty. From the look of it, Merlin had not wanted to go against Gilli. But he had still chosen to side with Arthur, even against his magical kin. 

His father swung upwards with his shield and threw Gilli off him. They scrambled in different directions: Gilli towards his shield, his father towards his sword. His father swung at Gilli and soon knocked him to the ground. 

His father placed his sword over Gilli’s chest, and then he turned away. The crowd cheered as they recognized the fight was over. And Arthur felt like cheering himself

A couple hours later Arthur was wandering the palace courtyard hoping to find Merlin. It was time for them to have a talk. Though Arthur wasn’t quite sure what he was going to say. He’d toyed with the idea of not telling Merlin that he knew about his magic. Than the idiot would know how it felt to be lied to.

It would be amusing to make hints and watch him squirm. But his immense sense of relief convinced him otherwise. The idea of Merlin as his enemy had haunted him. If Merlin had betrayed him by letting his father die, something would have broken inside him. And for a moment there, it had seemed to be true. 

But Merlin had showed his loyalties, had shown that their friendship was real. Arthur was determined to repay that loyalty. He kept remembering Merlin saying how lonely it was to live in the shadows, to have to pretend. The least he could do was let Merlin know that he didn’t have to pretend with him. 

As Arthur came up to the bridge over the lower town, he saw Merlin staring off into the distance. Coming to Merlin’s side, he saw Gilli walking away.

“Arthur” Merlin said in a tone of surprise. 

“So tell me, how long have you been using magic?” Arthur asked with a slight smirk on his face. Arthur saw something that looked like panic in Merlin’s eyes before he seemed to attempt to force it away.

“What are you talking about? I don’t have magic” Merlin said. There was a wide-eyed look about him that was clearly attempting to be full of innocence, but was only serving to emphasize his panic. He looked like a startled stoat, likely he hadn’t ever expected Arthur to bring this up so casually. Really though, as horrible as he was at lying, how on earth had Merlin kept this a secret for so long? 

“Merlin I know you have magic. I saw Gilli using magic in the tournament and followed him to figure out his motives. So I overheard you talking to him last night and I saw you use magic.” Arthur said.

Arthur saw a flash of embarrassment on Merlin’s face, followed by a look of irritation. “It would have been nice if you had let me know you were investigating Gili. You could have at least made a little noise so I’d know you were there.” Merlin said in a strained voice.

“You didn’t exactly give me a chance to tell you about Gilli. And I suspect that you’ve lied to me enough times over the years to make up for a little eavesdropping.” Arthur responded stubbornly. 

The panicked look returned to Merlin’s face. “Right, about that… I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to make you lie to your father. But I’ve only ever used my magic for good, I swear and…” Merlin babbled on with no sign of stopping.

“Merlin shut up!” Arthur interrupted loudly. And Merlin went quiet. 

Arthur said, “In the fight today, I saw you use magic to stop Gilli from killing my father. I realize that was a sacrifice on your part and that…” here Arthur paused and looked away from Merlin’s eyes. He went on, speaking as quickly as he could “And I thank you for your loyalty.”

Looking back up, Arthur saw that Merlin looked relieved and somewhat shocked.

“What was that? Did you actually just thank me?” Merlin asked in a very amused voice

“I’ll have you know that I often say thank you.” Arthur said in a lofty voice. Merlin let out a snort of laughter.

“Look Merlin” Arthur continued in a serious voice, “I’ll keep your secret. But I want you to promise that you’ll tell me everything that you have lied to me about and that you won’t lie to me again.”

Quickly Merlin said, “I promise. Though going over what’s been going on behind your back will take a while.” 

“Then it will take a while.” Arthur said determined. Thinking for a moment, Arthur decided it was too risky to have such a lengthy discussion in the city.

He told Merlin “Tomorrow we will go hunting and once we are out of the city you will tell me everything.”

“Right,” Merlin said with a nod. “And Arthur, thank you for not turning me in.” Merlin said sincerely.

At this Arthur simply nodded. “And Merlin, tomorrow we will also discuss your tendency to exaggerate.” He said

“What are you talking about?” Merlin asked in a confused voice.

“Last night you said you were more powerful than any man you knew. Clearly you’re not more powerful than me.” Arthur said confidently. 

“Want to put that to the test?” Merlin asked with a huge smirk on his face. 

“Fine, if you want to embarrass yourself.” Arthur said in a tone of false concern.

“We’ll see” Merlin said with a grin. 

At that Arthur gave Merlin a shove and they both headed back towards the castle. Each feeling relief in knowing they could depend on the other. And each planning to thoroughly beat the other the next day.


End file.
